Rubber overshoe.



No. 866,598. 1 PATENTED SEPT J. D. PRICE. RUBBER OVERSHOE.

urucnmn nun n11. 13, 1906.

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UNITED STATES r TENT OFFICE.

JOHN D. PRICE, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO H. G. POWELL, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

RUBBER OVERSHOE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 17, 1907.

Application filed April 13, 1906. Serial No. 311,458.

To all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHN D. PRICE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Rubber Overshoes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certain improvements in sandal rubber overshoes; and the objects of the improvement are to provide an overshoe of this character which will hold itself onto a shoe without binding the foot and will fit closely against that part of the shoe upper which is above and adjacent to the shank of the shoe.

The invention consists of an overshoe having the characteristics of construction shown in the drawing and hereinafter described and definitely pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of an overshoe embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view. Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are vertical sectional views through one side of the rubber in the planes indicated respectively by lines 3, 4 and 5.

The overshoe is to be made of the materials usually employed in making rubber overshoes. It is composed of a bottom portion and an integral upper. The bottom consists of the sole A, the shank B, and the heel C. These parts are of the form which correspond substantially to the shape of the shoe with which the overshoe is to be worn; but in the overshoe shown the front wall of the heel is abrupt and almost vertical and joins the shank in a sharp angle instead of being curved forward and merged into the shank, as is customary with the sandal rubber overshoes as heretofore constructed. The upper D, which rises from said sole, shank and heel is continuous and is very low, so low that it extends only a little above the crease between the upper and the sole, shank and lifts of a shoe to which the overshoe is fitted.

On the inside of the upper in front of the heel portions thereof there is an inwardly projecting bead d which is of such shape that it will substantially fit the crease between the upper of the shoe and the sole and shank thereof; that is to say the bottom surface of the bead is substantially flat to fit the flat top of the projecting edge of the sole and shank of the shoe,and its inner face is slightly concave to fit the adjacent surface of the upper. This bead is at a distance above the sole of the overshoe substantially equal to the thickness of the sole of the shoe on which it is to be worn and of the shank of said shoe, whereby when the overshoe is on a shoe, this bead will lie in and fit the crease and fill it, so that there is left no room for lodgment of mud or water if the wearer should step into a puddle deeper than the overshoe up- I per. Moreover the outer surface of the overshoe upper is smooth when the bead is in the shoe crease, instead of being curved inward as with prior overshocs, and thus it not only looks neater, but it also sheds the muddy water which gets onto it because of the absence of exterior depressions in which such muddy water might settle. This bead may be made of substantially the same rubber compound used in making the overshoe, but this bead being made much thicker than the rest of the overshoe upper, is consequently non-elastic, but sufficiently flexible to permit it to conform to the shape of the shoe over which it is worn and it may be vulcanizcd with the rest of the overshoe.

The heel portion of the upper is not much higher than the other parts of the upper, and it is inclined upwardly and rearwardly a little. In the heel part of the upper of the overshoe, that is to say, in the part of the upper which rises from the heel thereof an inelastic tape E or narrow strip of non-stretchable fabric is embedded, being at such distance above the heel of said overshoe that when the overshoe is on a shoe this tape preferably overlaps the crease between the upper and the lifts of the shoe. This tape extends entirely around the heel in substantially the same plane as the shank B, and its forward ends are deflected down into and forward in said shank,-the forward ends of said tape being carried to about the point where the shank B merges into the sole A. This tape is, of course, to be vulcanized into the heel portion of the upper and into the shank of the overshoe. When, therefore, a shoe is put into this overshoe and the heel portion of the shoe pulls backward upon the heel portion of the overshoe, it does not tend to straighten out the upper, and particularly that part of the upper which rises from the shank, but on the contrary the backward pull applied to the heel is transmitted to the front part of the overshoe through this tape and through the bottom of the overshoe. Since, therefore, there is no force applied to the overshoe upper, by the heel of the shoe, tending to straighten out the shank part of the overshoe upper, said shank part of the upper may and does preserve its natural shape, which holds it against the shoe on which the overshoe is placed. By thus making the heel of the overshoe low and by putting a nonstretchable tape in such position, substantially as described, that the backward pull of the heel is transmitted forward through the sole and not through the upper of the overshoe one of the prominent defects of the sandal overshoes in use is corrected in a very large degree. Another good result due to the described construction is that, when the foot is bent, the part of the upper adjacent to but just back of the sole does not bag outward from the shoe, being prevented from so acting by the bead which, because of its size, acts as a stiffening rib. To prevent the loss of the overshoe if the heel should slip off, and to more effectually cause the shank portion of the overshoe upper to press closely against the corresponding part of the shoe, an elastic retaining strap F is employed. This strap is secured into the shank portion A of the overshoe, and then extends as a loop in a diagonal di rection upward and in contact with the shank part of the upper, and rearward around the heel part thereof. This strap is, when the overshoe is on the shoe, to be pulled up so that it engages with the heel of the shoe just above the part of said heel which begins to curve forward. This strap not only serves to prevent the heel of the overshoe from coming off, but it presses the shank portion of the upper inward against the corresponding part of the shoe.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A rubber overshoe comprising a sole and heel having a low upper extending around the front shank and heel portions thereof, a wedge shaped solid bead arranged to extend transversely of said upper intermediately of its height with its reduced edge or apex projecting inwardly in position opposite the crease of the shoe over which it is to be worn and extending from the heel portion around the shank and sole, said bead having a flat lower face and a concave upper face to fit the crease between the shoe sole and its vamp.

A rubber overshoe having a low upper which is pro vided with an internal bead located near its top edge and extending around its top part and ending at points just in front of the heel and a non-stretchable tape embedded in and extending around the heel portion of the upper and having its ends deflected in front of the heel into and forward in the front of the shank of the sole, said tape in the heel being in substantially the same plane as the bead on the shank.

3. A rubber overshoe having a low upper which is provided with an internal bead located near its top edge and extending around its front part and ending at points just in front of the heel, and a non-stretchable tape embeddedin and going around the heel and having its ends deflected in front 0L the heel into and forward in the shank, and an elastic retaining strap which is secured at its ends to the shank and extends therefrom as a loop rearward at an upward inclination outside of and in contact with but disconnected from the shank portion of the overshoe upper.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN D. PRICE.

Witnesses E. B. Grncrrms'r, E. L. THURSTON. 

